Liu Kang
Summary One of the strongest of warriors in not only Earthrealm but in the entire Mortal Kombat universe. Liu Kang was destined for greatness. Raised by Shaolin Monks (though it's unclear if Liu Kang is one himself) and was taught in the ways of martial arts by Outworld master Bo 'Rai Cho. Liu Kang was destined to represent the Shaolin Temples in Mortal Kombat. Not only did Liu Kang fight his way to earn the title of "Champion of Mortal Kombat" but he also became one of the more memorable characters in tournament fighting games (and one of the more memorable fighters inspired by legendary Martial Arts movie star Bruce Lee). Liu Kang's qualities Bandana Though Liu Kang didn't start wearing his bandana until Mortal Kombat 2''. But Like Ryu from ''Street Fighter, he likes to show off his determination to his opponent when he fights them. It has no special powers but it does show how confident Liu Kang is. Abnormal strength Liu Kang's strength is very strange and very difficult to understand at first. But he's much more stronger than that of a normal human being from Earthrealm. Because his strength (along with small fire power) can allow Liu Kang fight and defeat huge monsters (such as Goro) and powerful scorcerers (such as Shang Tsung) and even Extraplanitary Superheroes (such as Superman). Liu Kang has proven that he can defeat any advesary that stands in his way. Pants Liu Kang's pants at first was just plain black Kung-Fu pants. But as he won Mortal Kombat, he even changed his pants (black with red stripes) to show his newfound confidence to his advesaries. They also don't have any powers either (like his bandana) but it's a nice display for Liu Kang (this is because he seldomly wears a shirt). Liu Kang's Timeline High Point: Mortal Kombat (Arcade, SNES 1992) Liu Kang embraced his destiny and competed in the tournament. He defeated foes such as Scorpion, Sub-Zero and eventually Goro and Shang Tsung. With that he became Champion of Mortal Kombat. Mid Point: Mortal Kombat 2 (Arcade, SNES 1993) Liu Kang defended his title as Champion by facing Kitana, Baraka, Shang Tsung (again), Kintaro and Shao Kahn. Though Liu Kang founght hard and bravely, but spilled a lot of blood in the process, which didn't suit some gamers (or the governament) very well. High Point: Mortal Kombat 3 (Arcade, SNES 1995) Liu Kang defended not only his title once again, but his home realm from Shao Kahn. Liu Kang also proved that Mortal Kombat is still an arcade smash. High Point: Mortal Kombat: The Movie (1995) Liu Kang jumped from the video screen to the silver screen. In the movie (portrayed by Martial Arts champion Robin Shou) he competes in Mortal Kombat to avenge the death of his brother Chan at the hands of Shang Tsung. The movie was a hit and it arguably saved the idea of turning video games into movies. High Point: Mortal Kombat 4 (Arcade, N64 1997) Liu Kang showed off his new (and only) shirt to fight for Earthrealm once again in the fight with the fallen elder god Shinnok. Low Point: Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (Gamecube, 2002) Liu Kang would be dealt not only his first defeat since his debut in the first game, but a death blow by the combined strength of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi. With Liu Kang dead, his fellow warriors also suffered the same fate as he, leaving earthrealm at the whim of the Deadly Alliance. High Point: Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (Playstation 2, 2005) In a re-telling of his story from the first 2 Mortal Kombat games, he and his friend Kung Lao defeated Shao Kahn and saved Earthrealm. Thus adventure was a good one (unlike Sub-Zero's or even Sonya and Jax's). Low Points: Mortal Kombat: Deceptions/ Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (Wii, Playstation 2, 2004/2006) Liu Kang was brought back from the dead by Raiden, thus he went on a mindless raging killing spree. It found Shang Tsung and defeated him and even avenged himself, but wasn't able to stop the empowered Shao Kahn. High Point: Mortal Kombat VS. DC Universe (Playstation 3, 2008) Liu Kang used his powers to fight the Superheroes of the DC Universe. Though he would succumb to what's known as "Kombat Rage" during these events. But he would help his fellow warriors (and Raiden) defeat the being Dark Kahn. Mid Point: Mortal Kombat R (Playstation 3, 2011) As Raiden goes back in time, he lets Liu Kang defeat Shang Tsung (as he did before) and Shao Kahn in Outworld. But Liu Kang was stopped and badly injured in his fight with Raiden as Raiden told Liu Kang to let Kahn merge Earthrealm with Outworld in order to receive help from the elder gods. Jonny's favorite Mortal Kombat Games * Mortal Kombat * Mortal Kombat 2 * Mortal Kombat 3 * Mortal Kombat VS. DC Universe * Mortal Kombat R Mortal Kombat Fun Facts * Liu Kang was originally going to be portrayed as a Japanese warlord, and named after the ancient warlord: Minamoto Yoshitsune, but the name was too long and too complicated, making John Tobias complain about the name itself. * Like how Bruce Lee was Liu Kang's inspiration, Mortal Kombat was inspired by the famous Martial Arts movie Enter the Dragon. * Liu Kang's fatality is the first to not "kill" his opponent explicitly. This is because according to records in China and Shaolin Monks, it would be considered disgraceful for a Shaolin Monk to kill his defeated opponent in a fight. Though eventually, Liu Kang would be given fatalities that would graphically kill his opponent. * Liu Kang's romantic feelings for Kitana are often mistaken to begin in the movie adaptations of the game. But infact they began by the motion actors that did Mortal Kombat 2. Ho Sung Pak (at least at the time) was dating Katalin Zamiar (Kitana). However Ed Boon, John Tobias and John Vogel hasn't officially confirmed a real *romantic relationship* between Liu Kang and Kitana as their own respecitve duties are more important to them than their personal lives. * It has been stated by Ed Boon that Liu Kang was designed specifically to be easy to play and master in Mortal Kombat. * Though Liu Kang *is* the main protagonist in the Mortal Kombat games, but his popularity is often overshadowed by the popularity of both Scorpion and Sub-Zero. Category:Mortal Kombat